Postal Service and Post Offices

Seth Perlman/Associated Press

News about Postal Service and Post Offices, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

May. 19, 2015

Singapore Post, with traditional mail service diminishing, is reshaping itself as one-stop location for retailers' e-commerce in Asia; company has 1,000 clients it provides with web development, online marketing and customer service. MORE

May. 17, 2015

Ethan Hauser Loose Ends column shares his somewhat inexplicable affection for the big-city post office, which he sees as one of the last great equalizing institutions in its egalitarian doling out of dysfunction, grime and hope-crushing chaos. MORE

May. 9, 2015

United States Postal Service reports fiscal second quarter loss of $1.5 billion, down from $1.9 billion loss in year-ago quarter; shipping and packing volumes rose, but mail volumes fell. MORE

Apr. 26, 2015

Jaime Lowe interview with Mevy Valentino, who discusses his job as an on-foot mail carrier in New Dorp on Staten Island. MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

Audit recommends overhaul of Postal Service program, known as mail covers, that records information on outside of letters and packages delivered to people suspected of criminal activity, citing lack of oversight in program; audit finds 20 percent of requests for surveillance under program were improperly approved. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Letter bound for White House tests positive for cyanide at off-site mail screening facility; authorities do not indicate whether letter was addressed to Pres Obama or someone else at White House. MORE

Mar. 6, 2015

United States Postal Service says it will begin replacing its aging, outmoded fleet of Grumman mail trucks with what it calls its next-generation delivery vehicle; will seek to improve fuel efficiency and better compete with package delivery rivals; automakers are competing for $6 billion contract to make 180,000 vehicles. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

FYI column answers question about New Yorkers pulling windshield wiper blade away from glass during snowy weather; explains why newer buildings in city do not have mail chutes; notes that Metropolitan Transportation Authority says there will be Cortlandt Street station on No 1 line after work is completed. MORE

Feb. 7, 2015

Postal Services reports revenue increase of 4.3 percent in quarter ending Dec 31, and $754 million net loss in same quarter. MORE

Jan. 7, 2015

Patrick R Donahoe, postmaster general, blames Congress and postal labor unions in speech at National Press Club for financial troubles of United States Postal Service; agency implemented cuts that will get rid of overnight delivery of first-class mail, latest in string of efforts to address declining revenues. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

Postal Service officials appearing at House panel hearing say agency granted almost all of about 6,700 requests from law enforcement in 2013 to monitor mail of Americans for use in criminal and national security investigations; says it denied only 10 requests. MORE

Nov. 15, 2014

United States Postal Service increases operating revenue for second year in a row, with agency's annual report showing 9.1 percent gain from shipping and package services; also reports $5.7 billion net loss, compared with $5 billion in 2013. MORE

Nov. 11, 2014

Postal Service announces major theft of data from its computer systems; tells 800,000 employees that an attack 'potentially compromised' databases containing names, addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers. MORE

Oct. 28, 2014

United States Postal Service reports that it approved nearly 50,000 requests in 2013 from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit to secretly monitor mail of Americans for use in criminal and national security investigations; number of requests, contained in 2014 audit of surveillance program by service's inspecor general, shows that program is more extensive than previously disclosed and that oversight of it is lax. MORE

Aug. 12, 2014

Postal Service reports net loss of $2 billion for quarter ending June 30, up from net loss of $740 million in the same period 2013; slide comes despite increases in mail prices and growth in shipping services; calls on Congress to help. MORE

Jun. 7, 2014

Ernesto Pulido, tree trimmer in Oakland, Calif, will not face charges for knocking five baby herons from their nest while trimming trees for the United States Postal Service. MORE

Jun. 3, 2014

Tree trimmer Ernesto Pulido may face federal charges for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 after trimming trees outside Oakland, Calif, post office where protected herons were nesting; United States Postal Service hired Pulido to prune trees because birds were defecating on mail trucks, but in the course of the job, five baby black-crowned night herons fell from their nests and were injured. MORE

May. 10, 2014

Financially troubled Postal Service reports a net loss of $1.9 billion in the second quarter, same amount it lost over the same period in 2013; reports operating revenue of $16.7 billion, $379 million increase over the same period in 2013; it is the third straight quarter it has posted an increase in revenue. MORE

Mar. 8, 2014

Five baggage handlers responsible for loading mail onto international flights at Kennedy International Airport are arrested and accused of stealing at least $27,000 dollars in checks, credit cards and money orders from United States Postal Service mailbags. MORE

Feb. 8, 2014

Postal Service posts a $354 million net loss in the first quarter, compared with a $1.3 billion loss over the same period in 2012; aggressive cost cutting and increased revenue from its packing and shipping business helped service stem its losses in the first quarter of its fiscal year, which ended Dec 31. MORE

Feb. 8, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Mehrsa Baradaran advocates proposal by the United States Postal Service to begin providing financial services in areas that are undeserved by traditional banks; holds organization has the infrastructure to offer reasonable services to low-income populations that are often exploited by check-cashing storefronts, payday lenders and even pawnshops. MORE

Feb. 5, 2014

Postal Service is moving forward with plan to sell the Bronx General Post Office despite protests from customers, community leaders and elected officials, who view it as a neighborhood institution; post office has called for offers from prospective buyers as part of a larger sell-off of historic properties across the nation; it is taking steps to ensure that the historic building and murals are preserved. MORE

Dec. 12, 2013

Canada’s postal service says that it will cease home delivery over the next five years, and substantially increase postal rates. MORE

Nov. 30, 2013

Editorial holds new series of first-class Forever stamps featuring images from Harry Potter stories is a measure of the Postal Service's resolve to appeal to consumers in time of financial crisis; notes non-American images were not approved by the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee. MORE

Nov. 16, 2013

Postal Service reports $5 billion net loss for fiscal year that ended in September 2013, significant improvement over previous year, when agency reported a record $15.9 billion loss; agency’s financial reports show that mail volume and revenue are continuing to decline as Americans increasingly turn to electronic forms of communication, but online shopping deliveries are offsetting some losses. MORE

Nov. 14, 2013

Letter from Sen Bernie Sanders of Vermont comments on Nov 11 article about the Postal Service making Sunday deliveries for Amazon. MORE

Nov. 11, 2013

Financially-strapped United States Postal Service, which failed to win congressional approval to end Saturday mail delivery, strikes deal with Amazon.com to deliver company's packages on Sundays; plan, first for both, covers New York and Los Angeles metro areas and is expected to expand; move offers Postal Service chance to take profitable business away from rivals. MORE

Nov. 7, 2013

Slowly paced overhaul of United States Postal Service, which has lost about $41 billion since 2007, has frustrated unions, customers and lawmakers. MORE

Oct. 7, 2013

United States Postal Service has issued a special reprint of the Inverted Jenny, classic 95-year-old stamp error known to collectors, as part of an effort to rekindle the public's excitement over stamp collecting and draw a new generation to the hobby. MORE

Sep. 27, 2013

Postmaster General Patrick R Donahoe says Postal Service has no choice but to ask for emergency rate increase because of agency's dire finances; agency proposes raising price of first-class stamp to 49 cents. MORE

Sep. 1, 2013

FYI column answers questions about when slavery was abolished in New York City and why federal post offices do not display photographs of the president. MORE

Aug. 22, 2013

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column on Bronx General Post Office; Landmarks Preservation Commission is seeking protection for main lobby, which features murals painted in 1938 by Ben Shahn and his wife Bernarda Bryson Shahn; group is hastening to gain landmark status before Postal Service ceases operations and sells building, as it intends. MORE

Aug. 19, 2013

Stuart Elliott Advertising column; United States Postal Service is devoting more attention and promotion of its delivery services; strong growth in package deliveries from e-commerce sites have helped set off losses that online communications have cost post office in revenue. MORE

Aug. 13, 2013

Latest threat to struggling United States Postal Service is a partnership between Manilla, bill-paying service owned by Hearts, and AOL; Manilla's customers will be able to view and pay their bills using e-mail accounts or through AOL's Web site. MORE

Aug. 10, 2013

United States Postal Service reports net loss of $740 million in the third quarter, compared with a $1.9 billion loss in the previous quarter, better-than-expected performance for the agency. MORE

Aug. 10, 2013

Gail Collins Op-Ed column highlights impossible economic situation faced by United States Postal Service, which is losing $15 billion a year and is still subject to draconian Congressional oversight; proposes cost-saving measures, like reduction of retiree benefits and office closures. MORE

Jul. 31, 2013

Cardboard and postage stamps: mementos from my trip around the world. MORE

Jul. 11, 2013

British government says it plans to sell majority stake in Royal Mail, country’s postal service, and will give some shares free to workers; says initial public offering, which would be the biggest privatization in country since railroads 20 years ago, will proceed in London before end of March 2014. MORE

Jul. 4, 2013

Postal Service confirms program created after 2001 anthrax attacks that gathers photos of exterior of every piece of paper mail processed in the nation, about 160 billion pieces in 2012; revelation about seemingly low-tech but prevalent Postal Service snooping comes as world focuses on surveillance programs of National Security Agency. MORE

May. 19, 2013

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about requesting refund for slightly late postal delivery and giving a colleague or student a negative reference for a position. MORE

May. 11, 2013

Financially troubled Postal Service posts net loss of $1.9 billion in second quarter, which ended March 31, compared with $1.3 billion loss in previous quarter. MORE

May. 4, 2013

Postal Service will in September close one of its two remaining centers where workers try to decipher unreadable addresses, making those who decipher those addresses a dying breed; improved scanning technology has largely made such workers obsolete. MORE

Apr. 12, 2013

Editorial condemns Congress for interfering and putting a stop to Postal Service's bold plan to cut most Saturday deliveries in order to save $2 billion per year. MORE

Apr. 11, 2013

Postal Service's Board of Governors backs away from its plan to stop Saturday mail delivery, criticizing Congress for taking cost-cutting proposal off the table. MORE

Mar. 22, 2013

Government Accountability Office says there is no legal basis for the Postal Service to stop delivering mail on Saturdays; opinion is issued on same day that House sent Pres Obama measure requiring the post office to maintain Saturday delivery, and is another setback to Postal Service's attempts at service cutback. MORE

Mar. 15, 2013

Postal Service says it will continue with its plan to stop mail service on Saturday despite Senate’s threat to stop agency from doing so; it is unclear what Congress can do to compel agency to continue delivering mail six days a week. MORE

Mar. 8, 2013

Preservationists are fighting what they consider shortsighted decisions by financially strapped Postal Service to sell architecturally distinctive post office buildings; eleven historic post offices are already on market across country and dozens more may be sold. MORE

Feb. 28, 2013

Profile of James Brannigan, who runs a mailroom for the poor in the basement of a north Bronx community center owned by nonprofit Part of the Solution; mail delivery has long been an issue in impoverished neighborhoods, where many people are homeless or transient, and others live in apartment buildings or houses where mailboxes have broken locks or are shared with other neighbors. MORE

Feb. 21, 2013

Gail Collins Op-Ed column pokes fun at the Postal Service for licensing its motto to a clothing designer, noting that move points up the organization's dire fiscal position. MORE

Feb. 14, 2013

Postmaster General Patrick R Donahoe asks Congress to allow the Postal Service to change its business model to keep itself solvent, saying that its debt could reach $45 billion by 2017 if action is not taken; Donahoe is seeking permission for the department to run its own health plan, modify a mandate on a benefit fund and end Saturday mail delivery. MORE

{"type":"article","show_header_text":false,"header":"ARTICLES ABOUT POSTAL SERVICE","query":"(des = \"Postal Service\" or des=\"Postal Service and Post Offices\" or des=\"Post Offices and Equipment\")","search_query":"(subject:\"Postal Service\" OR subject:\"Postal Service and Post Offices\" OR subject:\"Post Offices and Equipment\")","num_search_articles":"10","show_summary":true,"show_byline":true,"show_pub_date":true,"hide_thumbnails":false,"show_kicker":false,"show_title":false,"show_related_topics":true,"show_rad_links":true,"show_subtopics":true,"exclude_topics":"POSTAL SERVICE","more_on_header":"MORE ON POSTAL SERVICE AND:","alternate_index_subidx":"","show_thumbnails":true}

Of makeovers at postal services, SingPost’s is among the most ambitious. Besides regular postal duties, it offers a basket of services for companies, including website development, online marketing, customer service and, of course, package...